Tag: obama

When I was a kid, after my hockey practices, my mom and I used to go to Burger King. It became a tradition. What did i like the best? It was nice and quiet, compared to the crowded noisy McDonald’s right across the street. No lines, no one taking up great seat locations and almost zen. Today, there’s a new Burger War brewing: 5 Guys versus In-N-Out Burger. Who will win? This is a Brand site, so we look at this through the eyes of marketers and consumers, not food critiques.

Who has the better burger?

I know there’s lots of debate out there. Let’s dispel the myth here: they are almost the same burger. They take a high quality ground chuck, and squish it firmly onto the grill which locks in the flavor and creates a juicy burger. It’s a much higher quality meat than McDonald’s and much juicier in the end due to the cooking technique. The only difference is 5 Guys burger feels like the burger actually breaks apart more which could make it feel less fast-food and In-N-Out feels very neatly stacked. VERDICT: Tie

Fries versus shakes

If the burger is a relative tie, then what else you got. 5 Guys wins on fries and In-N-Out wins on Shakes. I’m a big fries fan, and 5 Guys does have pretty darn good addicting fries. They give you enough that you likely won’t finish them. The In-N-Out fries (except for Animal Fries) are a little bit nondescript and boring. In terms of shakes, the In-N-Out shakes are legendary, whereas 5 Guys is completely missing out by not even having a shake. Verdict: Tie, pick your poison and likely only have it once in a while.

Who has better atmosphere?

I have to say, neither is very cool at all. In-N-Out had the plastic feel of a McDonald’s, with booths that are too small to fit those that can eat a double-double. The hats on the employees are cute, giving it a 50’s diner feel. And 5 Guys atmosphere feels like a Costco. Dusty floors, crappy little tables and chairs. Plus, do we really need 50 signs per restaurant telling us how great you are. What you’re doing is opening up the door to local establishments finding a niche against both of these with a cooler pub-like atmosphere. Verdict: one bad tie.

So the overall product is a tie.

Where does In-N-Out Burger win?

Clearly as I’ve heard from the fans, In-N-Out does a great job engaging with their consumers. The secret menu and the secret sauce, the traditions of the double-double and the “animal fries” all help create a “club” filled with brand fans who will take on anyone that knocks their brand. There’s a slight difference in who each attracts. In-N-Out’s menu items are generally less expensive — the chain is most popular with young men ages 18 to 24 with an income of less than $70,000 a year, according to NPD. By contrast, Five Guys patrons are generally 25 to 50 years old, with an income of more than $100,000. In-N-Out seems to have a more engaged consumer base that it can leverage as 5 Guys is now into the Southern California market ready to do battle right in the backyard of In-N-Out.

Where does 5 Guys win?

5 Guys has been much more aggressive. They have pursued winning on reviews and lists that can help drive awareness for the brand. In 2010, they won the Zagat best burger. They’ve aggressively gone after celebrities such as Shaq and Obama. And most of all, they are winning on location, location and even more location. At this point, In-N-Out is stuck as a West Coast brand, in California, Arizona and Nevada with only 280 locations. And 5 Guys is everywhere, with 1000+ locations, fairly national and even in Canada. They are clearly following the McDonald’s real estate strategy by trying to be everywhere. The other area where 5 Guys wins is pricing. I’m a marketer, so the more price you can command the better. For relatively the same burger, 5 Guys charges twice what In-N-Out charges. In this current stagnant economy, people are proving they’d rather pay for an amazing quality burger than a cheap steak. It feels like In-N-Out is leaving money on the table with the prices that are just slightly above the McDonald’s price points.

So who will win?

At this point the clear winner will be 5 Guys. Just like McDonald’s versus Burger King in the original burger war, it’s not as much about the burger itself but about the aggressive pursuit of real estate. Unless In-N-Out wakes up, takes all that brand love they’ve generated among their fans and they go on an 5-year big expansion, they’ll be relegated to a regional brand we only visit on our road trips to California.

5 Guys is quickly becoming the upscale version of McDonald’s

To read more about how the love for a brand creates more power and profits:

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As we hit the US Presidential election cycle, there will be lots of talk about the Bail Outs. Was it a good idea? Did it work? Who was for it? Who was against it?

Case in point: After receiving $12 Billion in loans, Chrysler has seen three straight years of significant growth since the loans in 08 and 09. They saw growth rates of 17% in 2010 and 26% in 2011. And Chrysler is off to a great start in 2012, growing by 44% and gaining over 2.5 share points in the month of January. Chrysler is now in a fairly profitable position and has paid back most of the loans, even despite adding a complaint about the high interest rate. It appears the bail out worked, and it kept and created a few jobs–at least for now. Right after the bail out, Chrysler is once again in European hands, this time Fiat of Italy owns the majority compared to Mercedes of Germany. So is Chrysler still American?

It seems that Chrysler has had bouts of desperation and recovery for my entire life. I remember the Chrysler New Yorker of the 1970s–big huge gas guzzler cars, not an ideal fit as gas prices went through the roof. Chrysler collapsed in 1980, only to be recovered by the Lee Iacoca legendary story which gave birth to the Yuppy word of a generation: the Mini Van.

With the current recovery, just how is Chrysler doing it? Smoke and Mirrors and Patriotism? Or has the product quality really improved? Do they have a product offering as unique as the Mini Van? Not really. Especially if you read the reviews. Can Chrysler survive with a mediocre product?

Consumers Report said: “It’s clear that Chrysler is on the right path, but they still have a long way to go.” Testers were unimpressed with the Chrysler 200, Dodge Avenger, Jeep Compass, adding that they scored at or near the bottom of their respective categories. I know that when I buy a new car, the search component is high, spending months looking and reading. Cars are a big investment and I don’t want to be saddled with a car that is “only ok”. Bad reviews scare me. The last few cars I’ve bought, I’m sorry to say that the American cars are aren’t standing up to the Japanese cars. Even when I look up the basic car features (mileage, horsepower, features) the American cars come up short. Yes, I have that embedded perception problem, mainly because I’ve driven in a Chevrolet Chevette and a Ford Tempo. It’s going to be really hard to get those out of my mind.

Chrysler needs to find some way to create an emotional bond with their consumers. It has to be more than just a recovery and American patriotism. For decades, consumers have been Indifferent about Chrysler. Their cars do the basics and nothing really else. Nothing to get excited about. On the other hand,Lincoln made an unexpected comeback to get to the Like It stage, even more unexpected it was female buyers that drove it. And yet, brands like Lexus and Toyota are clearly at the Love It stage. Toyota consumers are outspoken about their brand, and return the dealer every 4-5 years to buy another Toyota. Toyota survived what was an attack on it’s safety record, since putting it in their rear view mirror.

The recent Chrysler advertising has been strong with back-to-back SuperBowl ads that stood out. In 2011 it was home-grown Detroit icon Eminem and this year it was Clint Eastwood. Two minute ads at half time must have cost them $25 Million just for the media alone. The campaign tag line “Imported from Detroit” is cute, but really is just a new twist on “Made In America” or the “Buy America” calls for patriotitic purchases. Maybe the only people buying the Chryslers are the people who were in favour of the bail out, which is some type of circular patriotism logic.

Maybe Chrysler isn’t selling cars, but selling hope for America. But to survive the long term, they need to stand for something more, and build unique quality products that deliver.

So is the sales blip just a blip? Or just a delay to the inevitable?

So the question remains: Do you think the bail out helped Chrysler get on the path to becoming a beloved brand?

The 2011 Chrysler ad seemed to hit the chords even stronger. Home town icon Eminem is more authentic than California Clint and the ads were selling Detroit, not America.

About Graham Robertson: I’m a marketer at heart, who loves everything about brands. I love great TV ads, I love going into grocery stores on holidays and I love seeing marketers do things I wish I came up with. I’m always eager to talk with marketers about what they want to do. My background includes CPG marketing at companies such as Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer Consumer, General Mills and Coke. I’ve done executive training of marketing executives and managers as well as taught marketing at Major Universities including York University, Queen’s University and Cornell University. If you have interest for your team, email me and we can customize a program to your needs. For Powerpoint versions of Beloved Brands as well as other team learning presentations, visit Beloved Brands Learning Sessions

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